


Life after (working title)

by sewinshut



Category: Peaky Blinders (TV)
Genre: F/M, M/M, tags to come
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-02-18
Updated: 2019-02-18
Packaged: 2019-10-30 18:52:06
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,724
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17834189
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sewinshut/pseuds/sewinshut
Summary: Tommy has done everything for his family. Sacrificed his happiness married a women he didn't truly loved he cared for her he truly did she saw in him what no one else did and she died for him. And finally after being outed by his family he's broken and someone unexpected picks up the pieces.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Unbeta, first peaky blinders store would appreciate feedback. Alternate storyline taking place just after the family's been arrested.

Their shouts still echo in his head two hours after they’ve been pulled from his home. Charlie is quiet in his arms the only comfort he has at the moment is the warmth form his sons weight. He has a plan but everything is spinning out of control. He hadn't wanted michael to kill the priest, but the boy had begged and he had seen in his eyes no matter what he told him he'd find a way to be the one to pull the trigger. The rest knew what they were getting into, they all had bloody hands and knew the risks. But they'd always find a way to put the blame on him, it was always his fault.

“Mr.Shelby…..mr.shelby!” He's not sure how long mary called his name before he heard her. “There's a man on the phone says he knows you.”  
“Right thank you i'll take the call in here. Could you take charlie please.” He doesn't want to let go of Charlie but a part of him is desperate to keep charlie out of the family business as long as possible.  
“Of course sir.” Mary says picking charlie up.  
Suddenly Tommy feels so cold, colder than he'd ever been before even in the tunnels. He watches them leave taking the warmth of the room with them. He waits a moment before answering the phone, lets the chill settle in his voice “Hello.”  
“Ello tommy. Heard some news, i did. Quite a shock actually.” Alfie saids says in a amused tone.  
“Hmm.” Tommy hums in response. Needs to be careful of his words till he know how much informations been spread.  
“Seems your family's in a bind.not that i'm truly shocked, more surprised it's taken so long. Must be that gypsy magic in your blood.Clever little lot you are.” Alfie ramblems for a moment.  
“……” He doesn't bother replying, doesn't think alfies shocked by this.  
“I could offer some assistance for a small trade of course. Not that i doubt you have some half cocked plan of yours. No doubt some complicated multi-backstabbing plan that'll spin out of control only for you to succeed but skin off your teeth.”  
“What do you want alfie?” Tommy interrupts the rambling as he gripped the phone tighter.  
“You.”

Their released seconds before it's too late.He can practically feel the ropes burn on his own neck, and the coldness of death chills his body in the fear of almost losing his family. Polly slaps him he deserves it, michaels heads hung low and his gaze stays in the ground. Tommy knows if he could see his eyes would be red rimmed, he'd been in his place shaking in the sight of death. John and arthur refuse to speak to him, rush past him to their wives and leaves. Leave him standing in the dust of the jall house alone.he's always been alone. 

Two years later…


	2. Chapter 2

Two years later...  
"All i'm saying is it's been two years without a word, we were still family aren't we?” Ada say pacing the living room. They'd been having this argument for hours, months really but this the first she'd been able to make the trip back from america.  
“Ada you don't understand” Francis says coldly. Arthur sits dejected by her side head hung low. Ada suspects that without his wife precedence arthur would already be on his way to tommy's. A quilty in her oldest brother that she had always admired(at times hated) was ability admiss the anger to always forgive tommy. All though at her core she knows it seems from not being able to protect tommy from their father or tommy himself.  
“What?what don't i understand.” Ada almost screams. Did they forget she almost lost them to?  
“There wasn't a rope around your neck. Or his. John fucking shit himself!” Esme screams.  
“Esme!” John fires back in embarrassment.  
“Look things happened but we all had bloody hands long before that day.” Ada retirts snorting.  
“Ada sweety you've been gone in america you dont know whats happened over here.” Polly replies in voice to anyone else would mistakes for caring. Polly above them all has the most right to her anger. She had almost lost michel for.the second time. But ada wont let that cloud her mind right now, she knows her brother to well to not know he's been suffering in silence for the last two years. They've had there time to simmer and punish.  
“I know more than you. I know michael's running the factory and elsa's running the gambles houses and curlys got the horses and johnny boys the run between.” Ada says stopping in front of the couches. “That arthur and john and polly still collect paychecks and tommy…. Tommy only comes out when needed. Hell have any of you seen him in the last two years?”  
Her question is meet with utter silence. At Least her family has enough shame to not meet her gaze. Finn, the only one who is truly a victim in this looks on the verge of tears. He had always been sensitive than the others almost like tommy before the world had truly set in. She cant comfort him now thou it's tommy who needs her help and for once tommys needs will come first.  
….  
…  
….  
“I don't think so.”  
“Have you?” It's the first time arthur's spoke since the hellos.  
“No no i haven't. Thats why this year should be change. We all made mistakes.” Ada says calmly. She's making more progress than she has in the last six months  
“Say we do go what's to say he wants us there.” John says defencily.  
“Ya he hasn't reached out.” Esme pipes up  
“He wont and you know that.” Ada says sadly.  
“Well try ada but no promises.” Arthur says standing up. Francis looking outraged at her husbands words. It's the first she's seen arthur stand up to his wife since the marriage.  
“I'm telling this christmas will be different. All of us together again!” Ada says excitedly and it warms her heart to see it sparks a little excitement across her family.

 

The mansion is quiet when they arrive, not bothering to knock there shelbys after all. What there not expecting is utter emptiness there meet with. While a tree stands tall in the corner of sitting room and the fireplace is abdomen the rest of the house is meet with complete abandonment of christmas cheer. In Fact most of the funerare outside of the sitting room is covered.  
“ah hello?” Ada calls down an empty hall  
“Oh! Miss ada its been so long!” Mary replies coming out of an adjoining hall.  
“Mary what's all of this? Or really lack of?” Ada says gesturing to the emptiness of the room.  
“Oh well we weren't expecting guests” mary says quickly removing covers from couches so the children can sit.  
“So that excuse my brothers total lack of christmas cheer?” Ada scoffs.  
“What about charlie?” John says shaking his head.  
“Not a proper sight for a child.” Aruther mumers.  
Even though most of their lives the shelby clan has been dirt poor they always pinched pennies and found ways to have proper christmas on watery lane. Even if most of the presents were pinched or home made. Wooden race cars and horses were always a hit with the boys for years.  
“Well, master and charlie were only to spend the day and tomorrow here to finish up some paperwork before returning home.” Mary says taking coats from the boy.  
“Returning home?” Ada hears john whisper to.  
“Isn't this there home?”  
“Oh dear i've over spoken. You should talk to the master, he's in his study.” Mary say sighing. 

The manner was in no way the biggest shock they would receive today.Tommy is not in the shape they expected. Common is his pale almost sickly skin, with hallowed eyes reaving the many sleepless nights he endured. His almost ill fitting suits due habit of refusing to eat. Instead in place of there brother stands a tommy they've never meet. His skin has a healthy glow and freckles scatter across the bridge of his nose a trait mostly forgot as tommy rarely see sun in summer. There is no bags under hollow eyes and they can not remember last time there was so much life in his eyes. Once ill fitting suits now fit snugly as if tommy's diet of solely whiskey and bread has be exchanged for a healthy one.

The first words from this imposter tommy are. “what's wrong what's happened?”  
“Ah. Nothing.” Ada pauses in shock. She cant remember the last time her brother looked this healthy, even before the war.  
A confused look cross his face “Then way are you all here?”  
It cuts deeper than tommy ment, causing them all to pause. Utter confusion in his eyes at the fact his family is here for no other reason than to be here cause a sickness to settle in their stomachs.  
“Well see we thought it be nice to spend the holidays together.” Arthur attempts with a chuckle like there wasn't years between last time he stood in this very room screaming hate filled words.  
“Y-Ya like we used to.” Finn stutters excitedly vibrating with energy. There's a slight shift of tommy’s arms a silent que before finn rush forward wrapping arms around tommys waist.  
A minute of silence pass over them before a “Daaaaaad!” fills the room as a charlie comes rushing in.”oh sorry.”  
“What is it charlie?” Tommy ask  
“I just wanted to know what time we were leaving. “  
“A little before lunch could you take your cousins outside for a bit?”  
“Sure.”  
“He's gotten so big”  
“Growing like a fickin weed tommy beams for a momment”  
“Ah you look good tommy.”  
“Ya got some meat on your bones”  
“Look let's cut the bull ok we want to bury the hatchet. Things were said and done but were family. Time to be a family again.”  
“I suppose adas behind this prompted reconnection.”  
“Tommy please. Can't things go back to the way they used to be.”  
“Ya your our brother we need to be together.  
Were family. “  
“Huff… why why don't you stay for the night since your here i'm sure charlie would love the company.”


End file.
